Based on research performed during his undergraduate studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Kent Zheng, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Archer group, was selected to participate in the National Students' Academic Works Contest in Shanghai organized by Ministry of Education of China and Chinese Association for Science and Technology. Kent excelled at the Contest and was recognized with the grand prize (top 3%) in the 15th "Challenge Cup". He also ranked first among the 30+ projects in the field of mathematics and physics that made it to the national finals. His project focused on the atomic-scale characterization of crystal defects, including precipitate structures in Mg alloys and interfacial structures in Mn3O4 nanocrystals.

Under the supervision of Professor Lynden Archer, Kent is pursuing the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell focused on developing structures that regulate ion and mass transport in metal-sulfur batteries.